St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1887-03-19
OVINGTON, TAMMANY PARISH, "A, MARCH Y,
PRECIOUS METALS.
How Gold and Silver Are Refined at the
United States Assay Once.

PRECIOUS METALS.
How Gold and Silver Are Refined at the
United States Assay Once.
In the very heart of Wall street are
the United States sub-treasury and the
assay Office. Here is the true heart Of
the financial world: if it is irregular in
IFS beating, notice how quickly the
speculative pulse is affected. The sub
Treasury deals with money after it is
coined. but the assay Office takes the
virgin gold and silver. or these metals
when they are debased. and determines
their value, using the government
standard Of coinage as a basis.
The Office is intended to accOmmO-
date the bullion interests Of New York,
and it is used by brokers. bankers,
merchants and jewelers.. Any one hav-
ing gold or silver which. when assayed.
will amount to 800 or over, may de-
posit it. He will receive its value in
coin or in fine gold. or, if it is silver. in
fine silver bars. The gold and silver
bars have their weight stamped upon
them, and the former bears. under
the Government seal. the value in gold
coin as well. The use of these bars
has saved the Government heavy ex-
pense, as they have been largely en-
ployed in the arts and manufactures.
thus preventing the melting down of
gold. To determine just how an ex-
change shall be made q chip is taken
from the metal brought to be assayed.
and it is melted by itself and poured
into molds. These small samples are
assayed, and BY calculation the proper
ton Of pure metal is indicated. Of
course deductions must he made for the
cost Of parting, refining. etc, but the
net result is paid to the depositor.
To obtain the best results in the sep
arating department the deposits are so
combined that the gold granulations
shall have over two parts Of silver to
one of gold. caIe being taken that any
copper that may be present shall not
exceed eight per cent Of the mixture.
About $4,000 ounces can be treated in
four kettles. The acid is added to the
granulations in successive portions
from a reservoir on q floor above, into
which it is forced by air pressure from
a receiving cylinder in the basement.
1t is boiled about five hours, then al
lowed to cool. and afterward siphoned
into silver reducing tanks. four in num-
l,ov Tho ro,,,or.1 ~~f tha Silx,or IN tho
acid solution leaves the gold in she dis
solving kettle; to this fresh acid is
added, and it is removed to another
kettle. acid being again added twice.
The resulting weak solutions of silver
are siphoncd of. and after the third
Of this process gold results.
which. when melted. fluxed and cast
into bars. is 997-1 900 to 99S-l 900 fine.
The solution of silver which is OBJ
tanned by the above process is, after a
settling process. boiled by the applica-
ton Of steam about five hours in lead
watts. In these copper plates are
plunged. portion of the copper gradu-
ally replacing the silver in the solution.
The copper solution is then >iPhoned
into concentrating tanks. and the sill
yer. after being scraped from the cop
per plates. is placed in a filter. where
it is washed. and, when melted. it is
found-to he from 999 to999A Il 900 fine.
The men, who are busily engaged
eight hours day in pouring molten
gold from crucibles into mOlds. are as
careless in their actions rs if they were
iron. If it were possible for
any class Of men to grow tired Of the
glimmer and CLINT Of gold. these men
must be the fortunate individuals. Some
one undoubtedly keeps close watch on
them. but it is not apparent. and they
do not seem to be restricted in their
freedom because they work in the prcc-
ious metal. When they have finished
work they change their clothing and go
home There has been but one arrest
among them in years. A few dollars
worth of gold were found in the pocket
of a workman. but the grand jury did
not find against him. the inference being
that some enemy had placed it there